Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. Not that I haven't tried to get it.
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Chapter 2: The First Day
In the doorway, Mai balked when she caught sight of Ty Lee and Azula, her eyes widening and narrowing in a heartbeat. Ty Lee stepped to her, almost instinctively after knowing the girl for so long, but Azula saw the faint ripple of muscle beneath Mai's clothing and placed a hand on the acrobat's shoulder, quietly attempting to soothe her; the last thing the Fire Nation Princess wanted was Ty Lee lying in a pool of blood, cut down by her own friend.
No. This was yet another thing Mai had to decide on her own.
The one thing that Azula took reassurance in was that the dark-haired girl still kept her hand in Zuko's. If she hadn't, it would have been an immediate sign of trouble, whether Mai chose to attack or retreat.
While she didn't want either to happen, Azula discovered she very much preferred Mai retreating to Mai attacking. Because despite how she acted, she didn't want to cut down her own friend, even if it was in self defense.
Azula was a lot of things. One thing she was not, however, was a traitor.
And if she was forced to attack Mai, even if it was in self defense, she would still be betraying her.
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She's heard the voices of the pink-clad girl and the girl with golden eyes for awhile now, and even glimpsed their faces in the dim light. But she's never actually gotten a good look at them, has never been able to evaluate and judge how strong they are.
Some part of her knows—believes, really—that they would never hurt her, and she's not sure why. But where she used to feel trust and affection she now only feels wariness and fear, and the animal instinct overrides any past memories she shares with them.
All she knows is that they could kill her if they wanted, and it's enough to have her pausing in the doorway. If it comes to blows her odds are two-to-one (she's still not sure whose side the boy is on, hers or theirs or possibly both), and those are not particularly good odds, no matter how fiercely she fights.
Instead, she judges her own actions by the movements of the two girls. Neither move as though their lives depend on it (and maybe they do), and she can see the anguish in the pink-clad girl's eyes but she doesn't move.
Teeth and nails won't do much good here—she can't see well and wouldn't know what to aim for, and besides neither girl looks like they want to fight, and damn it all she hasn't spiraled past the point where she'd attack innocent bystanders.
Besides, she really, really wants to get out of here. Like, now.
And it's enough.
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After a long, painful moment Mai quietly stepped to Zuko's side, her body slowly relaxing—but her eyes were still wary, sharp for that one mistake. It was better than an attack or a retreat, though, and both Fire Nation siblings would take what the dark-haired girl was willing to give.
Zuko turned golden eyes on his sister, satisfied that they'd reached safe ground for the time being. "Are you coming?"
Azula was already shaking her head. "I can't. If I disappear alongside Mai, Father will know for sure that something is wrong. At the most I can give you both a head start if he decides to pursue you. Ty Lee—"
"—is staying right here." The acrobat gave her old friend a look that was positively frosty. "It's better if two people stay behind and stall instead of one. Besides, you'll need me if things go wrong."
Sensing the tension between the two that was absolutely none of his business whatsoever, Zuko cleared his throat and nodded. "Okay," he said. "I can work with that." He turned away, intent on putting as much space between him and the prison as possible. Mai let go of his hand, but instead of bolting or attacking she simply loped ahead of him as though instinctively knowing the way out.
"Zuko."
Azula's soft voice made him look back.
"Something you should know." She nodded briefly in Mai's direction, as the other girl had paused by the corner and was waiting quietly for Zuko like an obedient dog. "About Mai. Ty Lee told me that you believed she was still with her family."
"Yes. I did."
A moment of silence as Azula contemplated this. Then, "I don't know how long it will take for Mai to become herself again, but don't tell her this. Her parents know she's imprisoned. I don't know if they knew what Father was doing to her… but they know she's trapped."
Anger rolled in Zuko's belly, hot and scaly like a large beast; but Azula just looked at him, and for once she truly looked her age.
"Don't tell her any of this, Zuko. If you do, it might just break her all over again."
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The wind is cool and carries a gentle nip, and any other person would flinch and pull tighter into the warmth of their clothes; she revels in it, pausing for a moment among the trees and tilting her head up, letting her face drink in the moonlight as the cool breeze plays with her hair. After so long she is finally free, a hope she'd given up on long ago.
"Mai."
She meets his gaze, but his eyes are not disapproving or judging. It almost seems as though he understands her quiet elation, her personal victory. Something inside her stirs once again—
(small hands reaching out to hers and gentle golden eyes)
--but the memory flickers and fades like a ripple after a stone has been tossed into calm, clear water. She only looks at him not because he is familiar, not because of the name he says, but because she hears his voice and it's only natural to look in the direction of a noise.
Because noise means a possible attack, and she isn't one to let her guard down.
As though sensing this (and, in his own way, understanding it) he turns away again and begins walking, leading her away from the prison and into the woods.
She waits, letting a small gap fill between them, and when she feels the distance is safe enough she follows.
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They traveled all night, and it hadn't surprised Zuko at all. He wanted to put as much distance between him and the palace as possible; while Azula could certainly stall and slow Ozai, there was no doubt that sooner or later he'd find out about Mai's disappearance and come to the conclusion that his son had something to do with it.
("She's his new toy…")
He shuddered.
Mai kept pace with him surprisingly well, considering her condition—the only thing that threw Zuko for a loop was that she trailed behind him, keeping a constant, wary distance between them. Only once had he tried to breach this distance, and she'd stumbled back so quickly that she would have fallen if she hadn't bumped against a tree, her eyes wide and slightly panicked.
He hadn't tried again.
By the time the sun began to rise, though, he could tell Mai was having trouble. She'd fallen behind from the original distance she'd established between them, and her breathing was labored and ragged. Risking a glance back at her, he'd seen her hair was sweaty and tangled, completely soaked. That was when he began to wonder if she possibly had a fever rising.
She collapsed by midday. Zuko heard the soft thud and knew she couldn't go any further.
He also knew she wouldn't be rising for some time.
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The world spins again as her vision dims and her stomach lurches, though she's eaten nothing; she can no longer fight it and crumbles to the ground.
For a brief moment the animal panic of being left behind flashes through her, but she hears his footsteps cease before he comes back to her, this boy who isn't yet a man in her eyes. She whimpers softly and shifts, trying to rise, but her body is weak and doesn't comply with her commands.
He kneels next to her, obviously torn; tilting her head just so she can see his eyes, and she knows he wants to help her. His hand twitches and he draws it to his chest for a moment, before slowly reaching to her, obviously unsure—
(strong hands, hot angry hands are on her shoulders, her neck, and she gasps and struggles but the lack of air is weakening her and she feels his lips curve as he kisses his way from her jaw down to her chest, taking his sweet time because he knows she can't fight back, and he drags his tongue along her skin and it makes her want to scream)
--and her hand flies out in a blur, knocking his away before his fingertips even graze her shoulder. She's beginning to tremble, and she doesn't want him to see her weakness. Though her vision is blurry she can just make out a cave a short distance away.
Narrowing her eyes she slowly pushes herself up onto her hands and knees, and for a moment she wonders if the boy will try and help her again, but he got her message and stays by her side, not doing anything. With aching slowness she lurches to her feet; for a moment she weaves dangerously and almost falls again, but her stubborn will beats down the affects of the fever that races through her system, heating her to the core. She takes slow, shaking steps to the cave, and the boy trails her much the way she trailed him before.
The cave is cooler than outside, and it's a merciful feeling in contrast to her overheated body, and with a soft murmur of appreciation she collapses, not caring about the hard cold ground, and passes out.
The darkness is a welcome relief, and she sleeps a free woman.
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For a moment Zuko stared wordlessly at Mai's sleeping form, not exactly sure what to do with himself; after a moment he walked over to the opposite wall, setting down his pack and flipping it open. Thankfully he'd prepared for this trip, and pulled out the extra blanket he'd tucked in.
It was wrong to just leave Mai exposed the way she was, and she needed to stay warm as her body waged a war against itself. Kneeling next to her, he gently slid one arm under her sleeping form and cautiously slid the blanket under her, judging his actions by her own reactions—she stirred briefly and curled into a tighter ball, but the fever now had her in its grasp and wouldn't let her go.
He finished wrapping the blanket around her, slid a ragged pillow under her head and rocked back on his heels, content he'd made her as comfortable as he possibly could considering the circumstances.
After a moment he retreated back to the wall and sat against it, leaning back and closing his eyes.
He deserved some sleep himself. It was obvious Mai wouldn't be rising again for quite some time.
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Mai's still keeping some distance between her and Zuko... she still doesn't quite trust him at this point, and I just wanted that to come across. Plus the little mini flashbacks in italics.
Read and review, please!
